Shown: February 11, 2024 at 6pm
Director : Souleymane Cissé
Country : Mali
Release Date : 1987
Duration : 105 mins
Language : Bambara and Fula
Subtitles : Yes
WINNER : GRAND PRIX AT 1987 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
Souleymane Cissé’s extraordinarily beautiful and mesmerising fantasy is set in the ancient Bambara culture of Mali (formerly French Sudan) long before it was invaded by Morocco in the 16th century. A young man (Issiaka Kane) sets out to discover the mysteries of nature (or komo, the science of the gods) with the help of his mother and uncle, but his jealous and spiteful father contrives to prevent him from deciphering the elements of the Bambara sacred rites and tries to kill him. Apart from creating a dense and exciting universe that should make George Lucas green with envy, Cissé shot breathtaking images in Fujicolor and accompanied his story with a spare, hypnotic, percussive score.
“Conceivably the greatest African film ever made, sublimely mixing the matter-of-fact with the uncanny.” (Jonathan Rosenbaum)